Daily Currentaffairs: 24 Sept 2020

Tables of contents

1.Role of Women in Indian Navy

2.Future of Rhinoceros in India

3.YuWaah Platform

4.Suspension of Members of Parliament

5.Parliamentary Committees

1.Role of Women in Indian Navy

Recently, the Indian Navy has announced the selection of two women officers as Observers in the helicopter stream, making them first women airborne combatants who would be operating from warships.

Background of Women in Indian Navy

• Before 1992, the Indian women officers were inducted in the Navy only in the medical stream from the Armed Forces Medical Service.

• The July 1992 marked the historic moment in Indian Armed Forces when the Navy started inducting women, initially through a special entry scheme and later through the Short Service Commission, in only select branches of the Navy.

• It needs to be noted that like in the Army and the Air Force, women are currently only inducted as Commissioned Officers and not in Other Ranks which are of categories of Junior Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers.

• In the early 2000s women officers from the Medical and Logistics stream were deployed on board Naval ships but these deployments went on only for four-five years and they were discontinued for various reasons.

Increased role of women in Indian Navy

• In December 2019, the Navy announced the induction of a woman officer as pilot of Dornier aircraft, which are fixed wing aircraft operating from ashore establishments.

• Till now women were inducted as observers for fixed wing aircraft which take off and land ashore.

• The entry of women in the helicopter stream means that women officers can now be deployed on frontline warships from which helicopters can operate.

Concerns associated with Women in Indian Navy

• Logistics Challenges: The deployment of women onboard warships may face logistic challenges as many warship would fail to provide basic arrangements to women officers.

• Question mark on gender sensitisation: The question of mindset and gender sensitization is something many believe would require concerted efforts.

• The battle for gender equality is about confronting the battles of the mind and history is replete with examples where women have been denied their just entitlements under law and the right to fair and equal treatment in the workplace.

Road Ahead for Women officers after Permanent Commission

• The Supreme Court in March 2020 upheld the right of serving women officers from the Short Service Commission in the Navy to be eligible for the getting permanent commission (PC).

• The Short Service Commission tenures in the Armed forces are of 10 years, extendable by four years after which officers can be eligible for permanent commission.

• A level playing field ensures that women have the opportunity to overcome their histories of discrimination with the surest of responses based on their competence, ability and performance.

• Women officers hope that these developments would result in them being posted at commanding positions on the ships which are a key for career advancements in the operational streams.

Source: The Indian Express

2.Future of Rhinoceros in India

Recently, the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate, on the occasion of World Rhino Day, has congratulated and expressed his gratitude to the frontline forest staff and officials for working tirelessly to save Rhinos.

Status of Rhinoceros in India

• The population of Greater One-horned Rhinoceros reached to the brink of extinction by the end of the 20th century with fewer than 200 animals in wild.

• The timely efforts and stringent protection and management of the Governments of India and the State Governments have revived the population of Rhinos in the country.

• Today, approximately 75% of the entire population of Greater One-horned Rhinoceros now occurs in India in the three States viz, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

• As per the report presented by the chief wildlife warden, there are around 2657 one horned rhinos in Assam, of which Kaziranga National Park has 2413, Manas National Park 43, Orang National Park 101 and Pobitora Wild Life Sanctuary has 100 rhinos.

• The Census of Rhinoceros is undertaken at the State-level by the respective State Governments periodically.

Conservation Efforts for Rhinoceros in India

Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 programme

• The WHO-India launched Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 programme to protect and increase the population of the one-horned rhinoceros.

• It is an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.

National Conservation Strategy for the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros

• It was launched in 2019 to conserve the greater one-horned rhinoceros.

• It is a first of its kind for the species in India which aims to work for the conservation of the species under five objectives which include strengthening protection, expanding the distribution range, research and monitoring, and adequate and sustained funding.

• Its goal is to repopulate Rhinoceros population in those areas also which used to hold the Rhinoceros earlier by augmenting the existing conservation efforts and strengthening them through scientific and administrative measures.

New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019

• India and four rhino range nations have signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species.

• India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase the population of three species of Asian rhinos, including the Greater one-horned rhinoceros found in the Indian sub-continent.

• The declaration was signed to conserve and review the population of the Greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos every four years to reassess the need for joint actions to secure their future.

Greater One-horned Rhinoceros

 

The greater one-horned rhino (or “Indian rhino”) is the largest of the rhino species.

 

It can be found in India and Nepal, particularly in the foothills of the Himalayas.

 

Greater one-horned rhinos are semi-aquatic and often take up residence in swamps, forests and riversides, and anywhere that is near nutritious mineral licks.

 

It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

 

It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

 

World Rhino Day

 

It is celebrated every year on September 22 across the world.

 

It was announced by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2010.

Source: The Hindu

3.YuWaah Platform

Recently, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has launched the YuWaah Platform.

About YuWaah Platform

• It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

• YuWaah, also known as Generation Unlimited (GenU), is a global multi-stakeholder platform in India.

• The Statement of Intent (SoI) between the Ministry and UNICEF provides the objectives of the YuWaah project which includes:

• • Support young people by providing entrepreneurship classes (online and offline) with successful entrepreneurs and experts, towards establishing entrepreneurial mindset among young people.

  • Upskilling of young people on 21st century skills, life skills, digital skills through online and offline channels and support them through self-learning, for their productive lives and the future of work.

  • Create linkages with aspirational economic opportunities to connect young people with employment opportunities, including building pathways to connect them with jobs or self-employment.

  • Providing career guidance support to young people through career portal as well as through job-readiness and self-exploration sessions to make young people career-ready.

• The role of Department of Youth Affairs is to provide relevant experts to participate on the YuWaah Technical Working Groups/Task Forces.

Source: All India Radio

4.Suspension of Members of Parliament

Recently, eight Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for unruly behaviour in the House and the motion was passed by a voice vote.

Reasons for suspending MPs

• The general principle is that it is the role and duty of the Presiding Officer i.e. Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha, to maintain order so that the House can function smoothly.

Rules followed by Presiding Officer

• The Rule Number 373 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business says that the Speaker, if is of the opinion that the conduct of any Member is grossly disorderly, may direct such Member to withdraw immediately from the House, and any Member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall remain absent during the remainder of the day’s sitting.

• The Rule 374 provides to deal with more recalcitrant Members and the Speaker make take recourse to:

  • The Speaker may, if deems it necessary, name a Member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business thereof.

  • If a Member is so named by the Speaker, the Speaker shall, on a motion being made forthwith put the question that the Member be suspended from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session.

  • A member suspended under this rule shall forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the House.

• The Rule 374A was incorporated in the Rule Book in 2001 and the intention was to skirt around the necessity of moving and adopting a motion for suspension.

  • It says that Notwithstanding anything contained in rules 373 and 374, in the event of grave disorder occasioned by a Member coming into the well of the House or abusing the Rules of the House persistently and wilfully obstructing its business, such Member shall stand automatically suspended from the service of the House for five consecutive sittings or the remainder of the session, whichever is less.

Power of Chairman of Rajya Sabha over suspension of MPs

• Like the Speaker in Lok Sabha, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha is empowered under Rule Number 255 of its Rule Book to “direct any Member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately” from the House.

• Unlike the Speaker, the Rajya Sabha Chairman does not have the power to suspend a Member and the House may, by another motion, terminate the suspension.

• The Chairman may name a Member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and wilfully obstructing” business.

• The House may adopt a motion suspending the Member from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session.

Source: The Indian Express

5.Parliamentary Committees

Recently, the government pushed through two crucial agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha and the proceedings were disrupted as the Opposition protested against the fact that neither Bill had been scrutinised by a parliamentary committee and also rejected the Opposition demands that they be referred to a Select Committee of Rajya Sabha.

Parliamentary Committee's Role in passage of Bill

• The Parliament scrutinises legislative proposals (Bills) in two ways i.e. by discussing it on the floor of the two Houses and by referring a Bill to a parliamentary committee.

• The Parliamentary Committee means a Committee which is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker and which works under the direction of the Speaker.

• The Parliamentary Committees are of two kinds i.e. Standing Committees and Ad hoc Committees.

• The Standing Committees are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

• The Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report.

Departmentally related Standing Committees

• India’s Parliament has multiple types of committees which can be differentiated on the basis of their work, their membership and the length of their tenure.

• These are the committees that examine bills, budgets and policies of ministries.

• There are 24 such committees and between them, they focus on the working of different ministries.

• Each committee has 31 MPs i.e. 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.

• The main purpose is to ensure the accountability of Government to Parliament through more detailed consideration of measures in these committees.

• The purpose is not to weaken or criticise the administration but to strengthen by investing in with more meaningful parliamentary support.

• The Departmentally related Standing Committees have a tenure of one year, then they are reconstituted and their work continues throughout the term of a Lok Sabha.

What is Select Committee?

• The Select Committee on a Bill is formed for examining a particular Bill and its membership is limited to MPs from one House.

• The Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs) and Select Committees are constituted for a specific purpose, they are disbanded after their report.

• Both the JPCs and Select Committees are chaired by MPs from the ruling party.

Nature of Parliamentary Committees Report

• The report of the committee is of a recommendatory nature i.e. the government can choose to accept or reject its recommendations.

• The Select Committees and JPCs can also include their version of the Bill and the minister in charge of that particular Bill can move for the committee’s version of the Bill to be discussed and passed in the House.

Source: The Indian Express

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